Chapter by Chapter

What first made me want to read Fates by author Lanie Bross was the cover. It was gorgeous and after reading the brief-description on the book’s jacket I knew that Fates would be a novel that I’d have a pretty fun time reading. Let me just say right now that Fates was not what I was expecting at all—it was far better. It was the kind of novel that I had to keep reading, even though I wanted to put it down. A compelling, refreshing read that I think everybody will enjoy.

In Fates main character Corinthe is a Fate exiled from her home Pyralis Terra after one mistake and must roam the Earth, executing crucial moments. Including deaths. When Corinthe has to ensure that a death goes as planned, the end result is Lucas Kaller seeing her run off into the night, bleeding. And Fates don’t bleed. Worried that she’s becoming mortal, Corinthe learns that she has just one more task before she can return to Pyralis: Kill Lucas Kaller.

However that doesn’t seem as simple a task as she originally believed. Lucas is dealing with a rebellious little sister, deadbeat father and a bitchy girlfriend, but at a party when Lucas sees Corinthe he quickly grows infatuated with her. After an attempt to murder him, Corinthe finds both herself and Lucas in a different world entirely with no idea how to get back. Caught between yearning to go home and yearning to be with Lucas, for the first time in her life Corinthe begins to question what is more important to her: home or love.

What I expected from Fates based on the vague description on the book’s jacket was a high school drama type novel. Which would have been fine and enjoyable but that is not what Fates is. Fates is a refreshing fantasy that you can’t anticipate. Not only does it start with Corinthe being a total badass who knows that the only way for her to get the happiness she believes she wants is by killing Lucas, but then we get a fantasy world filled with vampire-like creatures and wicked gnomes. It’s pretty awesome.

Fates isn’t just a novel that has an amazing setting, it’s also really well-written which surprised me a lot. The descriptions given are ones that make it so easy to just read straight through and have the story play out in your head. And the way the story is written and presented does make it an addictive read, you want to know what will happen next to Corinthe, what will become of Lucas, how everything will end because there’s something ominous about the whole plot. Fates’ intensity grows the more you read it.

The only thing that I had a hard time grasping was how the romance in Fates came about. Most of it did seem forced by Lucas’s obsession with Corinthe and his crazy wanting to kiss her. For readers it will probably be something that they can look past easily, but it came off as something that was very unnatural in comparison to how smooth everything else in the novel flowed (if that makes sense). That being said the romance itself is decent and only makes you like Lucas and Corinthe’s characters even more.

That ending? Crushed me and now I need to know what happens next. This sequel can’t come fast enough, I need to know what Lucas will do next. What will happen to Corinthe. There are so many loose ends that haven’t been tied up and I have to know how they get resolved. I’d recommend Fates to readers who are fans of fantasy, readers who are looking for a great, addictive read and to any fans of forbidden romances.